Only Time Will Tell
by sailorsenshi7
Summary: Minako and Rei have faced many obstacles as Sailor Senshi, but the hardest battle yet is forgiving, and living with, the betrayals and losses each have faced in the name of love and duty. What happens when death is only a stepping stone to their next encounter with destiny? Can love truly conquer all?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey All! So this is going to be a pretty short story (thinking only like 4-5 chapters) focusing on reuniting some of the Sailor Senshi with their lost loves. I have always loved Sailor Moon (seriously, my name even gives it away) but for whatever insane reason, I have never done a fanfic with them. SO, hopefully I will get some readers interested in this story and if I think enough people enjoy it, I will hopefully start another one.**

 **This is going to be a sightly different story line for our Senshi and Generals, and hopefully you all like it! Let me know.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any Sailor Moon characters, although I'd love to (looking at you, Mamo-Chan** ;) **)**

* * *

Mina woke with a start, heart pounding. As she had every single night since the nightmares started several weeks earlier, she quickly glanced around the dark bedroom, looking for a youma she knew wouldn't be there, wanting something other than her overwhelming guilt to be the reason behind what she experienced every night in her dreams.

The guilt, however, had been the only explanation for her nightmares. Every night, Minako was transported back to that night a little over three years ago when she made a choice that had left her hollow inside, almost as if Minako, the Goddess of Love, had faded away at the same moment her other half had died by her hand.

Startled by the moisture that trickled down one cheek, Mina reached up and wiped the offensive tear away, disgusted with herself for being so emotional.

She shut her eyes briefly, but wrenched them back open in a panic when his face flashed before her eyes. Mina's sword protruding from his body as he collapsed before her, the agony in his eyes as fierce as the agony in her heart. His hand reaching up to her, almost as if he wanted to hold her one last time, much like he had in a past life. Sailor Venus had reached down, desperate for his touch, remembering how strong their love had been on the Moon Kingdom and hoping that he could now feel it as well.

Maybe if they touched, he would remember it all with her.

Instead of his embrace, his eyes clouded over and his hand fell away to rest next to his now still body.

She remembered watching as he lay there, some ridiculous part of herself willing him to rise, to come back to her. They were alone on the field of battle, he was her enemy, and yet all she could do was plead with whatever was out there to fix him, to bring him back.

Sailor Venus had collapsed next to Kunzite's body as her knees gave out, her fuku disappearing along with her sword, leaving behind a rare transformation of her as a princess of Venus, her long orange shimmering gown flowing around them. Minako had grabbed ahold of his shoulders, shaking him sadly as her tears fell all over his face and his long silver hair, her vision blurring and black spots appearing before her as the pain in her heart threatened to break her even further.

She had felt her body imbued with some odd magic she hadn't felt in over a thousand years on her home planet. Venus remembered being filled with light, so bright it blinded her as it came from the tears she spilled, flowing like a river down to the man she held clutched so tightly to her. For a inexplicable moment, she would have sworn he moved, filled with an ancient power before it was gone just as quickly, as if she had imagined it all.

The light had faded and with it, all of the Goddess had faded too, until only the school girl Minako had been left, holding on tenderly to a dead man.

No sweet words had been exchanged between them in Kunzite's final moment, only the broken promise of what their future should have been.

Mina was never sure how long she had stayed there with him, how long her heart had slowed as it tried to find the nonexistent rhythm of her soul mate's. She only knew that she stayed with him until Sailor Moon had found her; the leader of the Senshi, broken beyond repair.

There was a soft knock before Mina's roommate and fellow Senshi Ami Mizuno opened the door, peaking her head into the room, eyes softening as they landed on Minako's huddled form on the bed. The burst of light from the hallway was enough to startled Minako out of her memory of that night and she felt her lower lip tremble from so much pain, unable to bottle it up and hide it from the other woman.

"Mina." It was all she said before the woman on the bed began to sob tiredly into her hands, body shaking with her cries.

A moment later Ami was on the bed with her, hands wrapped around the weeping woman, soothing her with both her soft touch and her soft voice as she whispered soothingly to the other woman.

"What's wrong?" Zoicite stood in the center of the room, his eyes worriedly looking at both women.

Mina lifted her head abruptly, staring up at one of the men who should hate her as much as she hated herself. She had taken away something precious from all of them three years ago when she had murdered her soul mate, thinking that it was the only way to win against Beryl.

Looking at the general before her, Mina knew how terribly wrong she had been. How she could have fought harder, should have believed in her eternal bond to save Kunzite.

Ami had never given up and had been rewarded when Zoicite had been saved by Usagi, returned to them all. The same had occurred with Makoto and Nephrite.

"Do you think there is a chance he could be reborn? That he could live a normal life, free of youmas and evil?" Minako asked the man who was now kneeling before her, holding one of her hands while his wife held another.

Zoicite looked tenderly at his friend, trying in vain to beat back the sorrow he felt for her, for the loss she endured. "I think that anything is possible. I also think that in his next life, he will find you. Your souls were forged together by an unbreakable bond. When he died, you freed him from the evil that clouded his heart, body and soul and allowed him to truly see what awaits him in the next life. He will come back to you."

Mina smiled down at the man, feeling less sad, if only by a fraction.

"Sorry for waking you guys." Mina sniffed before Ami reached over on her nightstand, bringing back a box of Kleenex for her friend.

"We were still awake, otherwise we probably wouldn't have even known you were having a nightmare." Ami responded as the other woman blew her nose.

Finished with her slightly embarrassing task, Mina raised an eyebrow and smirked at one of her best friends.

"It's a bit late in the evening to be up studying for college exams, you two. Getting a little hanky panky in before your test tomorrow?"

Ami blushed wildly, her shoulder length dark blue hair doing nothing to cover her face.

Zoicite merely smiled happily at his wife before leaning over and giving Ami a peck on the cheek. "I do love with you blush, wife." Ami blushed even harder, standing abruptly and leaving the two of them to laugh as she departed the room hastily.

"Thank you for not hating me," Mina whispered to Zoicite, not looking into his eyes as the words left her lips.

"There are many things I feel, none of them are hatred for you, Minako." Mina bit her lip to keep it from trembling as she felt a fresh new wave of tears filling her eyes.

Zoicite sighed a bit unhappily before taking a seat next to the Senshi of Love and handing her another Kleenex from the box.

"I feel sorrow for you, for what you have endured. I feel grateful to you, for setting Kunzite free. I feel happy that I am able to watch over you in his stead, as I know without a doubt he would not want you to be alone, nor to suffer without him. I feel angry you both were stripped of your right to be together and I feel so much overwhelming guilt that I live and love and yet you both cannot." Zoicite let the woman lean on him as she took comfort from his words.

The silence stretched on for what seemed like a lifetime before Minako sat up and away from him, her eyes dry and bright.

"You're a good friend, Zoicite. I'm glad you're here. You make Ami so happy, it's hard to believe how much different she was before." He smiled before standing up and strutting to the door.

"Speaking of making Ami happy, I believe we have some hanky panky to get back to." Mina laughed and threw a pillow at the retreating man, not wanting to think about her friends having sex. They were her family.

'Ew', Mina thought as she stood up from the bed. Looking at her watch, she realized it was only 3am.

'No time like the present to get a jump start on my workout routine.'

* * *

Kunzite sat up in bed, clutching his heart painfully to his chest as he relived, yet again, the second time he was struck through by the love of his life.

Grunting at the imaginary pain, he stood up from his bed and left the room without another thought of sleep.

Using his memory to guide him through the dark and forgotten castle buried within the Negaverse, Kunzite tried to brush off the sensation he felt in his once beating heart.

In recent years, Kunzite had been reliving the last time he saw her, his Venus princess, each night when he closed his eyes. Always the same memory.

They had battled fiercely, nearly killing each other on several occasions before their final showdown.

Kunzite felt as if it was yesterday, although with the passage of time in the castle he occupied within the hollowed out dimension of the Negaverse, it was nearly three lifetimes.

He remembered vividly, each strike he made at her, the young Minako Aino, or rather her alter ego, Sailor Venus. Kunzite remembered torturing her with bouts of dark energy, wave after wave of brutal force that eventually brought her to her knees before him. His victory for Queen Beryl had been absolute, yet the closer he got to woman kneeling on the cold ground, the more he felt a strange sensation at the back of his neck, his head felt colder while his heart had begun beating again for the first time in a thousand years.

The sensations should have been enough to make him run away from her and the things she was doing to him, and yet… Kunzite had crept closer, almost as if he could merge his body with hers and be whole.

Looking into Sailor Venus's deep blue eyes as he stood in front of her, an energy ball cupped in his hand high above his head, Kunzite had had the strangest sense of déjà vu.

Her eyes had filled with tears and she called out to him, her voice a caress that punctured the darkness that had held him captive for so many years.

"Kunzite, please don't do this. Please," Sailor Venus had wept as she knelt at his feet, her sword on the ground next to her.

Kunzite felt a blast of heat hit him straight in the chest at her words, as if just by saying his name she had unlocked hundreds of memories that had been trapped behind the barrier created by the Negaverse.

He felt his arm waver above his head as he recalled every memory of her at once, his princess, his intended bride. The first time they met, the first time he kissed her, every kiss after that first one, every touch. The first time she had confessed her love for him and he had stormed off, feeling such conflict arising inside of him. Knowing that he loved her more than he loved his Prince, that he would be loyal to her above all else. Knowing that it was he who had ultimately destroyed her on the Moon Kingdom.

Kunzite had pledged himself to her for an eternity and at the first test of loyalty, he had fallen under the spell of the Negaverse.

'I have failed her', Kunzite thought as he stared down at the woman at his feet, his brow furrowing as the energy ball dissipated from his hand which he had then lowered to his side as he gazed at her so intently.

"Minako." Her eyes had widened at the way her name had slipped effortlessly from his lips. Hesitantly the Senshi had stood up before him, sword grasped loosely in her hand as she observed him from a safer distance as she backed away.

"Minako, I-" His words caught in his throat as a blast of dark energy hit him full force, no doubt from Queen Beryl. It was powerful enough to begin forcing out the heat that had filled his body, pushing the memories he had of Minako further from his mind where they had lingered only moments before.

Kunzite had hunched over as he felt the darkness filling him once more, his attempts to fight off the poisonous touch in vain.

"Do it, Minako. You need to finish this." He looked up at her, his long silver hair partially obstructing his view of her. Even battered and bruised his goddess was a sight to behold. How could he have never noticed before?

Minako shook her head desperately, her eyes pleading with him to fight, to find a way to make it back to her. But he couldn't. The brave and noble General Kunzite was gone and the villain he had become was taking root once more.

"Do it!" He shouted at her, only to have her run forward, her sword sinking into his chest as she screamed out. Kunzite had fallen back to the ground, his head landing on a rock as he looked up at the frozen woman above him.

The sun was beginning to rise and with it, her hair was cast in a golden halo from above him, reminding him of her glory in this life and in the past. Where he had destroyed her once before.

Kunzite reached out to his Senshi, hoping to hold her to him one last time, happy that his memories of her came flooding back to him, bringing him a sense of peace he hadn't been aware he had been searching for.

Minako was his peace. Forever.

It was that final thought that caused him to drift off, only to be encased in a glass of warmth that filled him completely, casting out the residual effect of the negative energy that had been flowing through his veins.

The last thought Kunzite had before dying was that he would have given anything to return to his princess.

Anything.

* * *

Days passed as Kunzite watched the still form encased in the crystal clear tomb deep within the dungeons of the castle.

The place had long since been deserted, the last negative beings forced out by the Silver Crystal. Only Kunzite had remained to keep a careful watch of the general stuck in a comatose state in the tomb before him.

It was Kunzite's burden to bear, waiting for Jadeite to awaken.

When the leader of the generals had cast his dying wish out into the universe, he should have known his princess was capable of fulfilling it, even if she was unaware that it had been her planet's power that had resurrected Kunzite.

He had even spoken with the planet, if one could believe such a thing. Well, he had been given impressions on his mission, what was necessary of him to complete before returning to his princess for good.

Kunzite needed to atone for his sins before he could return to Minako. One such way was for him occupy the dreadful castle floating in the dark dimension, protecting it from evil that wished to take hold. His mission would be completed when Jadeite awoke from his slumber, fully healed and regenerated.

Kunzite wasn't sure what had happened, only that it had been over three hundred years and the final general had slept peacefully in the tomb Kunzite visited each day. He hoped one day he would come down and find his funny friend freaking out at being trapped in a tomb.

It hadn't happened yet.

Kunzite was unaware of Jadeite's importance to Kunzite's mission, only that when the sleeping general finally awakened, the two men would be able to leave this dreaded fortress behind and go home to their planet.

The first hundred years spent in the castle, Kunzite had been adamant at figuring out Jadeite's role in their return to Earth. As operatives of the Negaverse, the generals had been able to teleport with no issues whatsoever, however, as Kunzite had been cleansed by the waters of Venus, he no longer had such abilities.

He sometimes feared Jadeite would awaken evil and that this would have all been an elaborate game some evil being had conjured to torture Kunzite with the promise of hope.

After three hundred years, Kunzite no longer cared if Jadeite was evil as long as he could return home. Back to Minako.

How many earth years had passed since his death? Three or more at least. She would be an adult now and as lovely as ever. Kunzite knew Minako would cease aging when she reached maturity, much like he had. She would be frozen in time forever, which gave him plenty of time to go back to her. Although, each day he was away from her was like agony to Kunzite. How many things would he miss in her new life?

He missed everything about her; her smile, her laughter, her everlasting happiness.

Minako was everything Kunzite was not. She was carefree while he followed orders to a tee. She was open with her feelings while he was closed off. She let her heart lead her while he used his logic to dictate his life.

Minako made him live. Made him breathe. She had even made his heart beat again after lifetimes of nothing.

While a part of him knew his Minako was faithful, another part worried that she might move on while he was trapped in this void, waiting on Jadeite to wake the hell up.

Kunzite's brow furrowed as he thought about someone having firsts with Minako that were reserved for him. That were for him and him alone.

The thought made his fist clench at his side and his heart pick up an angry beat at the thought.

Kunzite was so frustrated he slammed his fist on the top of the crystal like coffin, yelling out his frustrations.

Imagine his surprise when the body inside the tomb jerked and a hand inside the tomb reached up and smacked the same area Kunzite had.

"Seriously need to work on your bedside manner, asshole." Jadeite muttered before opening his eyes.

* * *

 **Like it? Hate it? Let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alrighty, the second part is up! Thank you for the reviews so far! I am going to try and get this done within the next week or two. Please leave a review if you like it**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO.**

Rei looked around her, barely paying attention to the sun rising off in the distance, or the gentle amount of heat that filled her body the more the suns rays came in contact with her skin.

Rei once craved such a feeling, her power soaking up the excess energy and feeding it into Rei. It used to enhance her features as much as it nourished the rest of her.

Now, Rei's raven hair hung limp at her sides, her skin lacked the porcelain quality it once held. Even her purple eyes were lackluster and dull from the past few years.

Sighing slightly to herself, the once proud Senshi continued sweeping the steps to the temple, ignoring the way the morning breeze attempted to ruffle her hair.

The chill in the air would have caused Rei to shiver if she could feel such things like warmth, but now that feeling was as dead as her eyes.

Even the fire she had once sought answers from inside her temple was dead, not having been kindled since her return back to the temple almost three years ago.

Since her Mars Crystal was ripped from her body by the only man she had ever loved in either of her lifetimes.

Rei ignored the slight sting in her chest, almost like a phantom limb of where her crystal used to be as she thought about her betrayer.

How foolish she had been, letting someone from the Negaverse trick her. Rei had believed him when he came to her, professing his love.

Looking back on it now, Rei knew it was her own arrogance and over confidence that had given Jadeite dominion over her. He had played on her weaknesses like never before, making her think the power of her love could bring him over from the Negaverse.

Having recently seen Ami sway Zoicite to their side, Rei had believed she too had the power to do so with Jadeite. Instead, what planetary power she once held near and dear to her heart was gone along with any love she felt for anything.

Rei still remembered laying flat on her back, the damp grass sending a shiver up her spine for the last time as Jadeite knelt next to her, reaching his hand through her fuku and into her chest cavity. The sensation was more painful than Rei could have ever imagined as tears had slipped from her face and into her hair.

"Does the fiercest Senshi weep, fearing death?" Jadeite sneered down at her before his hand closed on his target and a sinister smile lit up his handsome face.

"I-" Rei sucked in a hurtful breath before continuing. "I weep…for you." She managed to wheeze out, never taking her purple gaze from the gray set of eyes now glaring down at her. He had always bewitched her with his eyes, his light blond hair and his charming, almost boyish smile. The first time Sailor Mars had caught a glimpse of him on the Moon Kingdom, she felt sure that her heart had stopped beating for a few moments as she beheld him. Now he would be the reason her heart stopped beating forever. Sailor Mars knew when he came back from the evil plaguing his life, he would hate himself for what happened here between them.

She would spare him the misery of knowing he caused her death if she could. Sailor Mars would do anything, endure anything, if it meant they could find each other again and be whole for one another.

"For me?" He thundered before yanking his astral hand up and out of Sailor Mars chest along with her Mars Crystal.

She felt the sting of her transformation as it left her and she was back in her high school uniform, skirting riding up her thighs as she lay sprawled out in the grass.

Jadeite had stood over her in the darkness, only her Sailor Crystal lighting up the night with a bright red hue, casting him in a devastating light.

Jadeite had smirked as he looked down on her prone form, lingering on her exposed body before his hand closed around the crystal and left them in darkness.

"Jadeite, this isn't you." Rei called out softly, her voice feeling more faint the more she focused on her breathing. 'This is it', she thought to herself. She was going to dissolve into nothing.

"Correction, my dear. This is me." He held out the stone. "And this is you. It's a shame the fire will die in you now. I always did enjoy your feistiness, especially when we fucked, wife."

He put the stone in his breast pocket and reached out to cup her face in his glove clad hands as he once again knelt next to her.

"You…You know? How long?" Rei gasped out, her hand struggling to reach up and hold his to her face. It was the only warmth she could feel and she clung to him desperate for whatever he could give her in her final moments.

"The whole time."

Rei shook the memory away, knowing how useless it was to dwell on the past. Nothing mattered. Not how Jadeite died, not how most of Rei died. Nothing.

Although, Rei was mildly curious about one thing.

Rei never understood how she didn't disappear as Jadeite had removed the crystal so viciously from her, as she had seen firsthand what happened to a Senshi when the crystal was taken out.

Although, in a way the most important parts of Rei had disappeared after that.

Rei could no longer feel the call of Mars, could no longer feel her powers as a Senshi. Instead, she always only felt cold, whether it was physically or emotionally.

The fire inside of her was as dead as her purpose.

* * *

 _"You…You know? How long?" Rei gasped out, her hand struggling to reach up and hold Jadeite's to her face. It was a desperate gesture on the Sailor Senshi's part, but a part of Jadeite found himself relishing the feel of her hand on his body._

 _He pondered her question for a moment, wanting to answer in a way he knew would hurt her the most._

 _"The whole time." He lied, having only discovered parts of the truth from his Queen a few weeks earlier. The look on her face was enough to make him smile in victory._

 _Jadeite smirked down at her, wiping her tears with his thumb, a gesture he felt familiar with, which was odd._

 _Jadeite delighted in her misery as she wept bitterly in front of him. "I have wondered what those ruby red lips might taste like in this lifetime," he muttered, almost to himself. In truth, he couldn't recall his memories, only vague recollections and half truths from Queen Beryl. Jadeite had wondered almost constantly since meeting Sailor Mars in his life what she would feel like, taste like, be like._

 _No point in wasting her last few precious breaths on this planet, he thought ruefully, although for a second he felt a flash of sorrow spike in his chest._

 _A moment later Jadeite leaned down, taking her lips forcefully with his own, hands tightening slightly on her cheek and neck as he held her to him, daring her to back away from what he desired._

 _Instead, Rei kissed him back just as savagely, as ruthlessly as he did. It was glorious; she was glorious. Just as he always knew it would be. She tasted of cinnamon and some other spice that called to him in every way, making him crave more of her. Just a bit more._

 _Jadeite moaned into her mouth, tilting his head to get better access to the dying woman in his arms. He pulled her into his lap, one hand holding the back of her head while the the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him desperately. Rei cried out for a second, causing Jadeite to hesitate in his ministrations._

 _He didn't want to hurt her._

 _An instant later she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her chest flush against his. Rei opened her mouth to him, their tongues colliding before caressing each other gracefully, almost as if the couple had done it a thousand times before._

 _'_ We have, _' Rei's mind called out to his and a second later Jadeite felt his memories leak through the connection that had opened between him and the fallen Senshi. Their bond was as strong in that moment as it had been a thousand years ago when he pledged his heart and his fealty to the planet of Mars and the princess of the proud planet._

 _When he had married the fiery goddess and sworn to keep her safe always._

 _A vow he had broken in nearly every way._

 _Jadeite broke the kiss, pulling Rei into his arms as he groaned from the onslaught of emotions that now tortured him in their intensity. He swallowed down his bellow of rage as each bittersweet memory came to him in a flash, as vivid in detail as they could be._

 _Rei shouting at him, yelling at him, ignoring him, laughing at him, loving him. The way she smiled at him when she thought he wasn't looking. The way he smiled back because his heart was so captivated by her it was the only emotion he could express in her presence. Even her temper made him happy. Her foolish obsession with Earth customs and fighting techniques. Their fights about nothing important just so they could make up in the bedroom later. It all came back to him quickly._

 _It was at that moment, he felt a burn where the crystal rested in his breast pocket, and a slight singing smell as it burned away through his clothing and through his chest. He removed a hand from Rei, using it to yank his top away from his body as he looked down at the red mark on his chest._

 _The stone. The stone was in him._

 _He looked down at the woman he had condemned to death, fear showing in his eyes as he attempted to project his hand into his own body. Nothing worked. She looked at him in confusion, but all Jadeite felt was complete terror at knowing she was going to fade away soon if he didn't right the wrong he had committed against her. He tried again to reach inside himself for the crystal but nothing happened._

 _His powers from the Negaverse were fading. Rei was making Jadeite whole again and knowing that, he knew he could not save her from the devastation he had caused. He looked frantically on his person and nearby for a weapon to cut open his chest to retrieve the crystal, but there was nothing._

 _'No, no, no, no!' Jadeite thought bitterly as he clutched mercilessly at his chest. The stone wasn't meant for him, it was Rei's. Without it she was going to die forever, never to be reborn. Only those with the Star Seeds could be reborn to serve their purpose. This wasn't meant to be his._

 _Gods, he needed to get it back to her!_

 _"Rei-"_

Jadeite awoke to a banging coming from above him. Only one person besides Rei would dare to wake him up in such a frustrating manner.

"Seriously need to work on your bedside manner, asshole." Jadeite muttered to Kunzite before opening his eyes.

* * *

Minako skipped up the steps to the temple, knowing from the tidiness in each step that Rei was going to be up already. Which was fantastic, because Mina had no other plans but to see her friend and fellow Senshi as soon as possible. It always worked out in her favor when she didn't have to force her awake in order to spend time with her.

Not that Rei seemed to mind anymore, having become a shell of her former self. She never even bickered with anyone anymore, which was a crying shame if Minako ever knew it.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, sending a quick text to the other scouts about meeting up for a mandatory hang out session, no boys allowed.

Ever since the fellow scouts had all hit their 20s, aside from fighting youmas and the occasional big enemy, the girls had begun spending a lot of time away from one another.

Granted, Minako was more worried about Rei than anyone else.

Mina lived with Ami and Zoicite, the happily married couple. Makoto and Nephrite were shacking up and Usagi and Mamoru were married and actively trying for a baby. Rei was the only one without anyone and now more than ever she needed her fellow Senshi.

Contrary to what everyone else thought, Mina knew Rei wasn't a shell of her former self. Just like Mina, Rei was heartbroken, her symptoms were just different. It was why Minako found herself visiting Rei more and more frequently, especially in recent months since her dreams started up.

The Senshi of Love was really hoping one of these days she would convince Rei to kindle her fire and attempt a reading. So far no luck.

At least Rei's stubbornness had remained. Minako smirked to herself before reaching the tops of the steps, feeling slightly out of breath from the jog over and all of those dang steps.

"Oh Rei!" Minako called out in a sing song voice, hoping to annoy a reaction out of her friend.

"I'm picking weeds," Rei called out from behind a tree. Minako rolled her eyes at such a boring task. Hopefully the pyro wouldn't ask for assistance, Mina thought hopefully as she risked a quick glance at her newly manicured hands.

Trying her best to smile brightly, Minako came from around the tree, looking down at her friend who was covered in dirt and bug like things.

"Ew, Rei. You've got worms in your hair!" Mina practically screeched as she raced over the remove the bugs from her friend's body. She picked up one slimy creature, gagging at the feel of it in her hands before gently placing it back into the weeds.

"Huh. Didn't even notice." Of course she didn't.

"Why don't you say we give the weeds a rest for now and go inside? Maybe conjure your fire and see if anything is happening we should know about." Specifically, why was Minako having the same memory played out in a dream each night?

"I don't feel the flames anymore, Minako." Rei said absently, her hands still buried in dirt as she ripped more weeds from their homes.

"Come on, Rei. I know you don't really feel like that." Rei looked away from the ground, staring up at Minako before looking away and hiding back in the shadow of the tree.

"But I do, Mina. Go home." Minako stood with her friend for another few minutes before sighing tiredly and turning back the way she had come, leaving Rei behind.

* * *

 _"Minkao." Mina felt a gentle pressure on her forehead. She furrowed her brow and turned away, rolling onto her side._

 _"Minako." The deep masculine voice sounded close to her ear, the hairs by her ear gently moving as if something had blown on them. Feeling a gentle pressure on her neck, she turned towards the sensation, opening her eyes slowly. There she saw someone standing over her bed, someone with eyes that appeared both grey and blue. She blinked and he was gone._

 _She sat up in bed, looking around._

 _What was happening? The last thing she remembered was falling asleep on her bed after tossing and turning for hours. She had been afraid to fall asleep, afraid of what she would see when she finally closed her eyes._

 _Instead of a battlefield, she was in her room. Everything was there as it should be. Nothing was amiss._

 _Mina threw her legs over the side of the bed, standing up and away from the blankets. She wore a silk tank top and silk shorts. Silver as they reminded her of..._

 _"Kunzite?" Mina whispered, realizing now the masculine voice calling her name had been his. She pushed her long blond hair out of her face as she ran her hands through the long locks, turning in a circle about her room, trying to find him._

 _He wasn't anywhere._

 _"Kunzite?" Mina called out again, her voice wavering as she clutched a hand to her mouth to hold back the emotions surging through her._

 _She felt so confused as she spun around the room once more, feeling disoriented as she stumbled and fell forward, landing on a black marble floor with a small grunt._

 _"What?" Minako muttered to herself. She reached out, touching the smooth marble beneath her hands. She looked up and around her, more confused than ever when she caught sight of the black walls and the black furniture. She stood up and walked over to the bed, sitting on top of the silk black sheets._

 _Everything was black. Literally everything._

 _Minako fell back onto the sheets, her head hitting a soft pillow._

 _"What the heck is going on?"_

 _"Minako?" The voice came from right next to her and the bed dipped slightly under additional weight._

 _Shrieking, Mina tried to sit up and move from the bed, only to be stopped by gentle arms that came around her waist and tugged her back into a hard chest. Mina grabbed ahold of the arms around her waist, stopping her attempt to flee instantly when skin on skin contact was made._

 _Her entire body relaxed into the embrace and Mina found herself looking back and into the eyes of Kunzite. A sharp inhale of breath and Mina was straddling him, pressing eager kisses to his cheek, his chin and then his lips. The man before her moaned deep in his throat at the gentle brush of her lips against his before he pulled her to him again, starved for her._

 _Mina's arms wrapped around his neck, her hands running through the long silver strands that nearly matched her own in length. When his arms tightened around her waist, feeling completely solid, Mina opened her eyes and broke the kiss._

 _The couple breathed heavily as they stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. She felt his emotions reflected in her own and before she knew it, she was crying and holding him to her, sobbing into his neck as he cradled her in his arms._

 _"This isn't real, is it?" She whispered to him, shaking harshly with each gasping breath she took._

 _"It's as real as I can give you. At least for now." He answered back, his voice never changing in pitch, which was so like her Kunzite. His hands rubbed soothingly along her back before he played with her hair and sighed deeply._

 _"Is this how I am to punish myself now?" She asked full of pain, more to herself than to him. He stiffened in her arms._

 _"Is it a punishment to be near me?" Kunzite felt as if her answer would break him._

 _"Only to know I am going to wake up and you won't be there when I do. I'm always going to be alone and it's my fault. I killed you," she sobbed into him, holding him to her for as long as her dream would allow her._

 _"You will not be alone for much longer. I am coming for you." Mina snorted at his convincing tone. He gently shook her in his arms until she pulled back and looked at him. She took in the strong line of his jaw, his grey eyes, his brow line, his straight nose and perfect lips."I am serious, Minako. Did you think death could stop me?"_

 _She smiled sadly at him before leaning forward until they were both laying together on the bed, arms and legs tangled around each other. "Can we stay like this, just for a little while?" Just until she woke up._

 _Kunzite leaned over, kissing her gently on the lips before tucking her body into his, his hands running back and forth along her hair as he lulled her back into a dream state. "I am coming for you," he vowed to her._

* * *

Mina opened her eyes, feeling well rested for the first time in months. The sun was shining brightly through her bedroom window. She rolled over in her bed, opening her eyes and looking at the space next to her, wishing more than anything that Kunzite had been in bed next to her. She ran her hands along the sheets, wanting to feel warmth from a body she knew no longer existed. Kunzite had felt so real to her, but Mina knew he wasn't. Not anymore.

She wished her dream had been real more than anything. That she had held Kunzite in her arms, that he had held her in his. Not wanting to dwell on her dream any longer, Mina began to sit up when she paused.

Feeling a tickle in her hand, Mina looked down and frowned when the light caught the strand of hair in between her fingers. Pulling it free from the sheets, Mina brought it to her face and inspected the hair before gasping.

In her hand was a long silver hair.


	3. Chapter 3

Rei huffed out a breath when she saw Minako bounding up the stairs to her temple, twice in just as many days.

What did the woman want now? Rei finished running a comb through her wet hair before letting it hang down at her sides, getting her outfit damp in the process. The Rei from three years ago would have felt a flare of irritation at her friend for interrupting her morning ritual, but she couldn't find the emotion within her.

"Rei! Rei!" Minako hollered as she gracelessly tumbled up the last few steps, panting heavily as she nearly slammed into the woman waiting for her at the top. "Oh God, Rei. I need your help!" And with that last panting breath, Minako thrust her closed fist right in front of Rei's face, waving it dramatically back and forth. "Do you see it?"

Rei felt her eyes cross awkwardly in front of her face before grabbing ahold of the other woman's hand and stopping her movements.

"What are you doing?" Rei asked, feeling odd when she realized her voice had risen to a shrill pitch. Minako seemed just as shocked by Rei's behavior before she smiled triumphantly and wiggled her fist back and forth until Rei released her hand.

"Do you see it?"

Rolling her eyes heavenward, Rei finally focused on Minako's closed fist, squinting until the early morning sun cast a ray of light on the single hair in Minako's hand, making the strand appear shiny and easy to see.

"Your hair?" Rei asked with just a touch of her old sarcasm.

"No, _look_ at it." Minako emphasized before bringing the hair as close to Rei as the former senshi would allow.

"I don't know what you want me to -" And that was when Rei noticed the hair was far too light of color to belong to Minako. She grabbed Minako's hand in a vise like grip before plucking the strand away from the other woman. "Where did you get this?"

"Well, it came from a dream." Minako then explained the rest to Rei, who sat before her, more confused than ever.

After hearing Minako's tale, Rei walked away from the other woman and into her temple, pacing back in forth in front of the screen that concealed the room she once held dear.

"Look, Rei, I know it sounds crazy. Well, kind of. I mean, we are pretty much extraterrestrials who were brought here to be reborn by a magical crystal held by queen of the moon from over a thousand years ago."

"Mina-" Rei started. Minako cut her off.

"I know you don't want to believe that Kunzite could be alive and well, especially if it means Jadeite is still out there."

"Which he's not." Rei interrupted.

Minako rolled her eyes, pacing back and forth. "I've been having the same dream night after night. Each time, all I do is relive the moments leading up to when I killed Kunzite three years ago. It's the exact same thing. Except for last night. This time I was transported to where he is."

"The Negaverse. Yeah, you told me. How is that in any way comforting?" Rei said in a mockingly gentle voice. Gods, could Minako not hear how stupid she sounded?

"I don't think he's evil. And I think... No, I know he's alive. Rei, please help me. Look into your fire. Call out to your spirits. Please."

"I told you once and I'll tell you again, my answer is no." Rei turned away from the screen, marching further into her home and away from any sort of temptation.

"Rei, if you would just-"

"My answer is no!" Rei screamed as she whipped around, shoving a finger at her friend's nose. "It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't. I've been cut off ever since I lost my powers, Mina. Are you that dense you couldn't put two and two together? Of course you are. Ever the optimist. It probably didn't even enter your thick, blond head that I can't do anything anymore. I'm broken, Mina. I'm broken. Okay? Do you get that? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Minako cast a sad look at her friend before reaching forward and pulling Rei into a hug. Rei meant to push Mina from her, to reclaim some of her dignity, but her limbs refused to work right and instead she clung harder to Minako, feeling a tidal wave of emotions pour through her in the form of tears.

"I'm broken." Rei sobbed woefully into Minako's shoulder, her hands clinging to Mina's back as she wept harder until finally Rei's wall fell back into place, the tears dissolving as if they had never been.

Mina let Rei pull away and wipe the tears from her face, a look of disgust in her purple eyes as she did so.

"If you want me to prove to you that my powers are gone, then fine." And with that parting shot, Rei stormed into her old sanctuary, moving so suddenly that dust bunnies kicked up from the floor and spun in a frenzied circle at Rei's feet.

After a few minutes, the fire was rekindled, the flames low and delicate, mirroring exactly how Rei felt in her heart.

Staring at the fire before her, Rei was hit by a swell of longing, which was as intense as her tears only moments before.

What was happening to her? Rei couldn't remember what most emotions felt like, yet there she was, being caught in a flood of emotions that ranged anywhere from aggravation to extreme sadness. If Rei could feel anything like hope, she would bet all of her money that Mina was right, there was something happening, something magical.

Too bad Rei didn't believe in any of that nonsense. Not anymore.

"Once this doesn't work, I expect you to leave." Rei glared at her friend's hopeful face, wanting to roll her eyes and to close Minako out of her life forever. Rei knew that would only be a temporary fix, however. Minako was the most loyal of friends and Rei knew without a shadow of a doubt Minako would never leave her alone.

"Come on, Pyro. You know I'd never leave you." That time Rei did roll her eyes, although she felt a lightness in her heart at her friend's words.

Shutting her eyes and reaching her hands out to the tiny flames, Rei called out to the flames, willing them to life.

Nothing happened.

"You see? I told you-" Minako walked over to her friend, holding her hand alongside Rei's as she stood next to her. Minako put her free hand on Rei's shoulder and the former senshi of Mars felt a flare of power come over her, similar to her own planetary power, but not quite.

"Try again." Minako encouraged, a look of complete concentration on her face.

Too taken aback by the flow of power, Rei called out once again, her eyes shut tightly. This lasted only a moment before her eyes popped open in wonder at the larger than life flames that danced before their outstretched hands.

For a moment the flames licked along Rei's palms in a caress and Rei felt the first flicker of warmth she had in years. A small smile played along her face as the flames licked her hands again before lifting higher towards the ceiling.

"Show me Kunzite," Rei called out to appease her friend's eagerness. Rei didn't expect the flames to show her a dead man, but was once again surprised when they came roaring to life before an image of Kunzite appeared before them. He looked to be within some sort of stone room, pacing back and forth.

His silver hair stood out like a beacon in the otherwise darkened room. Rei heard Minako gasp in happiness.

Before she could look to Minako, Rei saw someone else come to stand before Kunzite, stopping the silver haired man's pacing. Both men stared at one another before speaking, although the words were drowned out by the sound of flames.

"Oh shit," Minako exclaimed before Rei ripped herself away from the fire, which cut off the image abruptly, leaving both women standing in darkness.

They stared at one another in complete confusion before piping up in unison.

"What the hell is Kunzite doing with Jadeite?"

"How are they both alive?"

* * *

"You do realize this will never work?" Kunzite asked, his voice sounding more like a growl than Jadeite was used to. Generally his friend and leader sounded bored with anything and everything. Toneless. Bland.

"I'm pretty sure it will." Jadeite clapped Kunzite on the shoulder as he walked by, a pep in his step as he walked towards the chambers that held a view of the galaxy.

"You're a fool if you think this will work. I cannot believe I wasted over 300 years waiting on you to wake up. You do realized I have been stuck in this dreaded castle for ages, keeping out any minions of the Negaverse because I was promised you were the key to returning me to Minako."

"Yes, yes." Jadeite waved his hand in the air dismissively. He'd heard Kunzite repeat himself at least three times, like a broken record, and Jadeite was becoming quite tired of his friend's ongoing skepticism. It made it even worse to know that Rei had spent over 3 earth years without her powers. Gods.

How must she be faring? Was she okay? How would his fiery goddess ever forgive him?

Jadeite scoffed at that. Of course she wouldn't forgive him. Her wrath would rein down on him until he finally succumbed to the torment of the fires that she set on him. Not like he didn't deserve it, but still. The thought was clearly unpleasant. Regardless, he knew she needed her sailor power back before it was too late, before she finally lost all hope.

Jadeite wasn't sure what would happen when he finally made it back to Rei, he only knew that he needed to make it back to her, no matte the cost to himself.

She needed to be whole again, she deserved that.

"And now you think you have some magical device inside of you that can do that?" Kunzite's harsh question roused Jadeite back to the here and now, helping him to dispel the line of thoughts that were plaguing the blond man.

"It's not a magical device." Jadeite said, finally acknowledging the other man. He hadn't told Kunzite how he had found himself entombed in the first place. Hadn't wanted to admit his shame. Gods. Three hundred years of slumber.

"Oh really? There isn't anything other than magic I can think of that can transport someone to and from planets other than some mythical device that you clearly must possess. The only thing that wields that type of power is a sailor crystal." Kunzite stopped abruptly.

Jadeite sighed loudly before turning back and staring at Kunzite's blank expression. His friend looked more pale than usual, his long silver tresses doing nothing to help his complexion.

"You wouldn't." Kunzite exclaimed rather numbly.

Jadeite looked at him hesitantly before responding. "I did." The words came out choked. "I took it from her." He felt a sting in his chest and clutched at where he knew his heart was kept.

"You wouldn't." Kunzite repeated. He stepped forward, his hand outstretched before pausing right above Jadeite's shoulder. "You took something so precious from your wife?"

Jadeite shoved himself away from Kunzite, feeling the familiar flash of anger at himself and at Kunzite. "It appears I did, brother. Nearly killed her, in fact. I'm surprised it didn't. Now, if you are done stating the obvious, how about we figure out how to teleport to Earth? Rei will no doubt be missing me." _Her power,_ he added silently to himself. His Rei would be too vindictive to ever miss him, especially after his betrayal.

He left Kunzite alone in the dark room, needing to be alone with his thoughts.

He knew they would be returning to earth both too late and too soon. Jadeite needed to be ready.


End file.
